Secret Invasion: Thor #1

Secret Invasion, Part 1

Secret Invasion continues from Secret Invasion: Inhumans #1…

Beta Ray Bill has escaped from his captors. Ablaze in agony, his body begins free fall down to Earth.

In Broxton, Oklahoma, Doctor Don Blake is doing a house call to check up on Maria, a local who is in the final stages of pregnancy. Good humored, Blake tells her that the baby is in good health and she can go into labor any day now. She tells her that she should relax until that moment comes. He understands how concerned she is because this is the first time she has been pregnant and reminds her that everything will be fine as long as she remains calm.

That’s when there is an explosion outside, that shatters the living room window and sends both Don and Maria to the floor. The explosion came from Asgard, which hovers nearby.[1] Don knows this, but tells Maria that it could be anything and that he’ll be needed outside to help anyone who might have been injured. That’s when Maria notices that her water just broke. Don congratulates her for officially entering labor, and tells her that giving birth is a slow and arduous process and promises he’ll be back later to help her with the delivery.

Blake then rushes outside and once he is clear of any prying eyes, slams his walking stick on the ground causing him to transform into Thor, the god of thunder. When Thor arrives in the city of Asgard, he is greeted by Balder who doesn’t know what crashed into their home. Going to the impact zone, Thor sees that the cause is their old ally, Beta Ray Bill, who has reverted back to his mortal form. Bill weakly explains that he had been captured by the Skrulls who experimented upon him and warns that they are coming to invade the Earth.[2] As they take Bill to a bedchamber to rest, he also tells them that the Skrulls still have his enchanted hammer, Stormbreaker, the key to his powers and as mighty as Mjolnir itself.[3]

With Beta Ray Bill resting, Thor and Balder head back outside where the residents of Asgard wait for word on what’s going on. Thor warns them of the coming Skrull invaders and that their coming attack with not only threaten Asgard, but nearby Broxton and it is their duty to defend both. Thor then tells the warriors of Asgard to prepare themselves for war.

Realizing that the alien invaders will cause a panic among the residents of Broxton, Thor decides that a terrestrial distraction is needed to keep them out of sight and out of harm’s way. Flying into the air, Thor uses Mjolnir to summon a massive storm over Oklahoma. No stranger to powerful storms, the residents of Broxton calmly head to weather shelters as normal. Maria joins a large group heading to a nearby school for shelter. She doesn’t see Don Blake among them and worries about him. However, one of the other residents assures her he’ll be there in time for when he contractions start up again.

Back in Asgard, its warriors are preparing for battle when one of them mocks Loki for not doing anything. Loki then points out that the Skrulls are shapeshifters and points out that they can’t tell who is real and who is a Skrull impostor. Volstagg tries to dismiss this, but the seeds of doubt have already been laid, with one warrior wondering if Beta Ray Bill might be a Skrull.[4] Much to Loki’s delight, word spreads and soon a group of Asgardians make their way to Beta Ray Bill’s bedchambers. There they find Balder guarding the door and order him to release the alien to them. However, Balder refuses, telling them to get back to preparing for the coming battle.

They refuse to listen and are about to get violent when Thor returns and knocks them all off their feat. He asks them if they are all out of their minds, as they have no time to fight among themselves. To prove to them that Bill is who he says he is, he invites them all to follow him inside. There, Thor tosses Mjolnir to Bill to prove his worthiness. Sure enough, when Bill grasps the enchanted weapon. This causes Bill to transform into his Asgardian form, while Thor reverts back to Don Blake. Blake tells the others that Bill will fight in his place as he is needed in Broxton to help Marie deliver her baby. With that, Beta Ray Bill carries Don back to town. By the time he has arrived, Marie has gone into labor and he begins helping her with giving birth. Outside, there is a large boom that everyone thinks is thunder. However, Don knows better, it was an explosion signaling the arrival of the Skrulls and that Asgard is now under attack!

… Secret Invasion continues in Secret Invasion: Runaways/Young Avengers #2.

Recurring Characters

Thor, Beta Ray Bill, Balder, Heimdall, Loki, Volstagg, Skrulls

Continuity Notes

At the time of this story, the city of Asgard stands just outside of Broxton and has done so since Thor (vol. 3) #2.
The majority of this invasion will be covered in Secret Invasion #1-8.
Stormbreaker was created by Odin in Thor #339 after Beta Ray Bill proved himself worthy of having the power of Thor.
Volstagg mocks Loki for being a woman now instead of a man. When Loki was resurrected in Thor (vol. 3) #5, it was in female form. We’ll find out later in Thor (vol. 3) #8 that he stole the body belonging to Sif, trapping her spirit in the elderly Rose Chambers. Sif will remain trapped in the dying woman until she is freed in Thor #602.